Obama's Former Press Secretary Was Told Not To Talk About The Drone Program

On Sunday’s “Up w/Chris Hayes” on MSNBC,
former White House press secretary Robert Gibbs revealed the Obama White House’s
early public-relations strategy on the drone program: avoid
it if at all possible.

Gibbs told show host Chris Hayes that although President Barack
Obama has been more forthcoming about the program recently,
during his vetting to be the spokesman for the Obama
administration, he was told not to acknowledge it at all.

“I think you’ve seen recently the president discuss the need and
desire to be more forthcoming,” Gibbs said. “I certainly think
there are aspects of that program that are and will remain highly
sensitive and very secret, but let me give you an example here,
Chris.

"When I went through the process of becoming press secretary, one
of the first things they told me was you’re not even to
acknowledge the drone program. You’re not even to discuss that it
exists.

"And so I would get a question like that, and literally I
couldn’t tell you what Major [Garrett] asks, because once I
figured out it was about the drone program I realized I’m not
supposed to talk about it.”

Gibbs said he was in a difficult spot, because the secretive
policy risked undermining public confidence in government.

“But here’s what’s inherently crazy about that proposition:
You’re being asked a question based on reporting of a program
that’s secret,” Gibbs continued. “… Pay no attention to the man
behind the curtain. I think in many ways, and I think what the
president has seen — and I have not talked to him about this, I
want to be careful.

"This is my opinion. But I think what the president has seen is
[that] our denial of the existence of the program, when it’s
obviously happening,undermines people’s confidence overall in the
decisions that their government makes.”

According to Gibbs, Comedy Central’s “The
Daily Show” host Jon
Stewart elicited the clearest answer yet from the president
on the drone program.

“I will say ironically the time in which the president probably
talked most about the drone program, interestingly enough, was in
an interview on ‘The Daily Show’ with Jon Stewart,”
Gibbs added. “Jon Stewart asked a good question, and gave the
president the space to give an answer.”